Coffee, Almond & Plum Swiss Roll

Coffee, almond and plum... What are your opinions on this flavour combination?
It is strange, I grant you. Strange, but by no means unheard of, although all the recipes I stumbled across during my (very) brief Google search seem to be of German origin. Of course, it being a strange combination, I had to try it. Luckily, we have, at the moment, an abundance of plums.
I decided to make a coffee and almond flavoured Swiss roll with a whipped cream and plum filling. The responses were... well, varied, to say the least. My mother outright rebelled at the idea of putting anything fruit in a coffee sponge, but she quite enjoyed the result. My brother pronounced it 'yuck' at first bite, although I’m still not sure whether it was him 'rebelling' at the lack of butter cream or genuine dislike. Others pronounced it delicious. My sister, upon taking the first mouthful, immediately put down her fork, pronouncing it was 'not for me!' And I? Well, I quite liked it. I loved the sweetness of the sponge and the contrasting bitter coffee, the slight crunch of almonds, the smooth sweetened  fresh cream, and the sharp notes of plum cutting through it all, leaving you wanting to taste it all over again... but then, I’ve always liked strange flavours. I’ll just throw the recipe out here, and leave it up to you to decide, if you do feel intrigued enough to attempt it. It’s rather simple, made with minimal ingredients and with a minimal cooking time.

COFFEE, ALMOND AND PLUM SWISS ROLL:

SPONGE:
3 eggs
3oz (75g) Caster Sugar
3oz (75g) Self-Raising Flour
2oz (50g) Ground Almonds
2tbsp Coffee granules dissolved in 1tbsp boiling water

FILLING:
Whipping Cream (About one small tub)
Approximately 2tbsp Icing sugar, according to one's taste.
4-5 Plums, chopped. (The plums I used were quite small, being garden plums. If the plums you use are bigger, simply reduce the amount.)

METHOD

1. Whisk eggs and sugar until pale and frothy.
2. Add in the coffee, making sure its cooled.
3. Gently stir in flour and ground almonds, taking care not to knock all the air out of the mixture.
4. Pour into a lined Swiss roll tin.
5. Bake at Gas Mark 6 for 7-9 minutes, no more otherwise it will be dry and crack when rolling.
6. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
7. To make the filling, whip the cream with the sugar until it just about holds its shape. Retain a little to decorate, fold chopped plums  into the rest.
8. Spread onto the Swiss roll sponge, and then roll up gently.
9. Decorate with cream rosettes and flaked almonds if one so wishes, or simply dust with icing sugar.

Best of luck, and DO let me know your opinions!

Tiramisu Cake with Mascarpone Cream Frosting

Its here somewhere amid old recipe
 books, bottles of vanilla, and novelty
cupcake cases.

This recipe is one that has become a firm family favourite. From an old magazine that my mother acquired when she came to the UK back in the '90's, the yellowing pages still languish among the old recipe books and cut outs on the little shelf in the pantry. Since then it has copied into recipe books, typed, printed, and passed on to a dozen or so people, and now I'll post it on here. Wonderful with an afternoon cuppa, this tiramisu cake makes an appearance on almost every occasion, and many times besides.
This cake is flavoured with coffee granules dissolved in water and good quality grated dark chocolate. It is drizzled with coffee syrup or a coffee liquor whilst still warm, and then sandwiched and covered with a creamy mascarpone topping and decorated with  flake. This recipe can either be made into cupcakes (which yields 24) or a standard sized round sandwiched cake.

TIRAMISU CAKE WITH MASCARPONE CREAM FROSTING



CAMP's chicory & coffee essence.

SPONGE:
175g (6oz) Baking Butter
 175g (6oz) Caster Sugar
175g (6oz) Self-Raising Flour
1&1/2tsp Baking Powder
3 Eggs lightly beaten
20ml (4tsp) instant coffee dissolved in 2tsp boiling water
85g (3oz) Plain (Dark) Chocolate, grated
Coffee flavoured Liquor  (or alternatively, for a non-alcoholic option, I use Camp’s Chicory and Coffee Essence)

METHOD:

1. Place baking butter in mixing bowl with caster sugar. sieve in flour and baking powder. add eggs, coffee and chocolate and beat well for 1-3 minutes until smooth.
2. Grease two round cake tins. divide the mixture equally between the two, levelling the top for an equal rise.
3. Place in preheated oven at gas mark 3, and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until done.
4. Once out of oven, drizzle coffee liquor (or chicory and coffee essence) onto each cake and leave to cool before removing from pans.

TOPPINGS:
Mascarpone cream frosting
Cocoa powder for dusting
Cadbury’s Flake chocolate

MASCARPONE CREAM FROSTING:
2x 250g (9oz) Mascarpone Cheese
85g (3oz) Icing Sugar
1/2tsp Vanilla Extract
90ml (6tbsp) Single or Double Cream

METHOD:

1. Beat together cheese, cream, icing sugar, and vanilla until smooth and thick. Be wary of overbeating as it could curdle and split. 
2. Sandwich the two sponges with a generous layer of frosting.
3. Spread frosting on the sides of the sandwiched sponge, and then gently lift cake and roll in crushed flake, until the sides are evenly coated. Alternatively, you can pour crushed flake around the sides, although I find that the rolling method provides a neater and more even coverage.
4. Place cake on a serving plate and spread the remaining frosting on top. Decorate with chunks of flakes, and then dust with cocoa.

Here they are in cupcake form. Strangely, (for the amount of times its been made) I seem
to be lacking pictures of it in a sandwiched cake form.

Author's note: The cake can be decorated however you fancy. The icing can be piped, spread all around the sides and on top, or only on top, the cake can be drizzled with chocolate, or can be patterned with a fork, which looks very nice too. Its up to you how much (or little) you want to do.